The Call to Be Holy
Study note
God opens with the foundational command: 'Be holy, because I the Lord your God am holy.' Holiness means being set apart for God's purposes. The chapter then moves through practical applications: respecting parents, keeping the Sabbath, rejecting idols, and properly handling peace offerings. These commands show that holiness is not just about rituals but about everyday life choices.
1 Then the Lord gave Moses these instructions: And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 "Tell the whole Israelite people this message: Live holy lives, because I, the Lord your God, am holy." Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.
3 "Every one of you must show deep respect for your mother and father. And observe my Sabbath days of rest. I am the Lord your God." Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.
4 "Do not turn to worthless idols or make metal gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God." Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God.
5 "When you bring a peace offering to the Lord, make sure you follow the right procedure so it will be accepted." And if ye offer a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD, ye shall offer it at your own will.
6 "The meat must be eaten on the same day you offer it, or the day after at the latest. Anything still left by the third day must be burned up." It shall be eaten the same day ye offer it, and on the morrow: and if ought remain until the third day, it shall be burnt in the fire.
7 "If anyone eats it on the third day, it is considered spoiled and will be rejected." And if it be eaten at all on the third day, it is abominable; it shall not be accepted.
8 "Anyone who eats it must face the results. They treated something the Lord sees as holy with disrespect. That person will be cut off from the community." Therefore every one that eateth it shall bear his iniquity, because he hath profaned the hallowed thing of the LORD: and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
Care for the Poor and Honest Dealing
Study note
This section contains some of the Bible's most loved moral commands. Farmers were to leave the edges of their fields and the fallen grapes for the poor and foreigners. Stealing, lying, cheating, withholding wages, cursing the deaf, and tripping the blind were all forbidden. Judges were to show no favoritism to either the poor or the powerful. The section climaxes with the command Jesus called the second greatest: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
9 "At harvest time, do not cut your grain all the way to the edges of your fields. And do not go back to pick up whatever grain you missed." And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest.
10 "Do not go through your vineyard a second time or gather the grapes that fell on the ground. Leave those for poor people and for foreigners. I am the Lord your God." And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God.
11 "Never steal from anyone. Never tell lies. Never deceive each other." Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another.
12 "Do not swear false oaths using my name. Doing so dishonors the name of your God. I am the Lord." And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.
13 "Do not cheat your neighbor or take what belongs to them. When you hire someone to work for you, pay them that same day -- do not hold their wages overnight." Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.
14 "Do not insult someone who is deaf, and do not put an obstacle in the path of someone who is blind to make them stumble. Have reverence for your God. I am the Lord." Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD.
15 "Always be fair when you serve as a judge. Do not give an unfair advantage to a poor person out of pity, and do not give special treatment to a rich or powerful person. Judge everyone by the same standard." Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.
16 "Do not go around spreading rumors about other people. Do not stand by doing nothing while someone's life is in danger. I am the Lord." Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD.
17 "Do not hold secret hatred toward anyone. If your neighbor does something wrong, have an honest conversation about it so you do not become guilty yourself by staying silent." Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.
18 "Do not seek revenge or hold grudges against fellow Israelites. Instead, love your neighbor the same way you love yourself. I am the Lord." Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
Various Laws About Purity
Study note
God gave laws about not mixing different things: breeding different kinds of animals, planting mixed seeds in one field, or wearing clothing of mixed fabrics. These laws taught the principle of keeping distinct things separate, reflecting God's orderly creation. The section also includes laws about fruit trees: for the first three years the fruit was forbidden, the fourth year's fruit was an offering to God, and from the fifth year onward the people could eat it.
19 "Obey my rules. Do not crossbreed two different kinds of animals. Do not plant two different types of seed in the same field. Do not wear clothing made from two different types of fabric woven together." Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.
20 "If a man sleeps with a slave woman who has been promised to another man but has not yet been freed, there must be a fitting punishment. But they must not be put to death, since the woman was not yet free." And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, betrothed to an husband, and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her; she shall be scourged; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free.
21 "The man must bring a ram to the Tabernacle entrance as a guilt offering to the Lord." And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, even a ram for a trespass offering.
22 "The priest will use the guilt gift ram. He will make things right between the man and God. The man's sin will be forgiven." And the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the LORD for his sin which he hath done: and the sin which he hath done shall be forgiven him.
23 "After you enter the land and plant fruit trees, treat the fruit as off limits for the first three years. Do not eat any of it during that time." And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised: three years shall it be as uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten of.
24 "In the fourth year, all the fruit must be dedicated to the Lord as a holy offering of praise." But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy to praise the LORD withal.
25 "Starting in the fifth year, you may eat the fruit. Following this pattern will cause the trees to produce even more for you. I am the Lord your God." And in the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit thereof, that it may yield unto you the increase thereof: I am the LORD your God.
Laws Against Pagan Practices
Study note
The surrounding pagan nations practiced fortune-telling, magic, cutting their bodies for the dead, and tattooing as part of their idol worship. God forbade all of these. He also forbade eating meat with blood still in it. The command to respect the Sabbath and God's sanctuary was repeated, along with a warning against consulting mediums and spiritists. These laws drew a clear line between Israel's worship of God and the dark spiritual practices of their neighbors.
26 "Do not eat meat that still has blood in it. Do not practice any form of fortune-telling or sorcery." Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times.
27 "Do not trim the hair at the sides of your head in certain pagan styles or clip the edges of your beard." Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.
28 Do not slash your skin as part of mourning rituals for the dead, and do not put permanent ink markings on your bodies. I am the Lord. Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.
29 "Do not disgrace your daughter by forcing her into prostitution. If you do, the whole land will turn to immorality and fill up with wickedness." Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.
30 "Observe my Sabbath days of rest and treat my sacred place with reverence. I am the Lord." Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.
31 "Do not consult mediums or try to contact spirits of the dead. They will make you unclean. I am the Lord your God." Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.
Respect for Elders and Foreigners
Study note
Standing up in the presence of the elderly showed respect and honor. The treatment of foreigners was especially important: they were to be loved as oneself, because Israel had been foreigners in Egypt. Honest weights and measures in business were also required. The chapter ends with a call to obey all of God's rules, reminding the people that he is the Lord who brought them out of Egypt.
32 "Rise to your feet when an elderly person enters the room. Treat older people with honor and respect. Have reverence for your God. I am the Lord." Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD.
33 "When foreigners settle in your land, do not mistreat them." And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him.
34 "Treat foreigners living among you exactly the same as native-born citizens. Love them the same way you love yourselves, because you were once foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God." But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
35 "Always use honest measurements when measuring length, weight, or volume." Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure.
36 "Use accurate scales, accurate weights, and accurate measuring containers. I am the Lord your God, the one who rescued you from Egypt." Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt.
37 "Follow all my rules and all my regulations carefully. I am the Lord." Therefore shall ye observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: I am the LORD.